Surveys of people at work indicate that well over 50% of the people consistently report that they are unhappy with their work. They are likely living out of alignment with who they were born to become.
The path to discovering your passion and purpose can begin with simple self-awareness. Consider these three questions:
1. How am I gifted?
Do you really know how you are naturally gifted? Your gifts can be like water to a fish — so familiar that you may hardly be aware of them. Consider these important questions as you review your natural aptitudes: What was I doing when I lost track of time, when an hour seemed more like five minutes? What comes naturally to me? What are some of the easiest activities for me to do? Do I enjoy chatting with a friend, reading a book on philosophy, organizing a trip or vacation, fishing in a fresh-water lake?
When you take inventory of what has been especially enjoyable, fulfilling, or satisfying, you are noticing your best gifts at work.
2. What are my interests?
We don’t choose our interests, we notice them. Again, the “water-to-a-fish” metaphor applies. Ask yourself:
What am I naturally drawn to? Do I like to watch documentaries about history? Caring for the wellbeing of others?
What have I enjoyed learning about most? Were there subjects in school that I found especially fascinating?
Do I notice that I am learning about something in particular in my spare time? Do I like to spend time in museums or sporting events?
Do I want to learn more about things or people, concepts or values, poetry or philosophy, drag racing or wedding planning?
Follow your interests, they are guideposts along the journey of life, and help to direct you to career paths that you will find both enjoyable and fulfilling — that will hold your interest.
3. What is my dream of life?
There exists within each of us an undercurrent of guidance, often barely discernible. The soul is real; spiritual influences are as real as rocks and trees, actually more real than real. Abiding within you is an unseen presence that can guide you, with your consent, to a fulfilling and happy life, one that will engage your greatest personal potential.
It is harder to pay attention to that guidance, because it does not necessarily show up explicitly. Rather that guidance is more metaphorical and full of vague imaginative leadings. One question often elicits the dream of life already active within you. This is the question:
If money were not an issue, if you knew you would have enough money, and you knew for certain you would not fail, what would you do with your life?
Your answer to that question will often also elicit the deepest values that you hold. If your answer is self-serving, and does not include the value you could deliver to others, it may not be the true dream of life alive and well in your soul. A life devoted to purely self-centered purposes is destined to end in unhappiness. If your answer is wholly self-interested, keep reconsidering your answer until you arrive at one that feels aligned with who you truly want to become.
Your answer need not be overly specific. It can be a general statement of a vision for your life. The clarity and detail will come later.
With that simple self-awareness in hand, follow the advice of those who have pursued their own journey to passion and purpose:
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined! — Henry David Thoreau
We like to pretend that it is hard to follow our life’s dreams. The truth is it is difficult to avoid the many doors that will open. — Julia Cameron
There comes a time when you ought to start doing what you want. Take a job that you love! You will jump out of bed in the morning. I think you are out of your mind if you keep taking jobs you don’t like because you think it will look good on your resume. — Warren Buffet
J G Johnston
Author of Jung’s Indispensable Compass
3/26/2024